Edwin Rios is settling in as an everyday player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will aim for a sweep of their four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday in Phoenix.
Rios has started seven straight games and should continue to find himself in the lineup after fellow infielder Max Muncy landed on the injured list Saturday with left elbow inflammation.
Rios is thriving in his new role. He is 5 for 13 with a home run and three RBIs in the first three games of the series.
“Feels good knowing when you come to the field you’re gonna play,” Rios said. “Definitely soaking it in and trying to take advantage of it.”
Los Angeles is 24-5 against the Diamondbacks over the past two seasons, including seven straight wins. The latest came in a 3-2 victory on Saturday, when Mookie Betts homered for the second straight game.
Betts is batting .353 with 11 home runs this month to lead Los Angeles, which has won 12 of its past 14 games.
Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner delivered an RBI single on Saturday to extend his hitting streak to 20 games. He is batting .359 with three homers and 18 RBIs during that stretch.
Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte doubled in the ninth inning on Saturday to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. Marte is 15-for-40 (.375) during his streak.
The Diamondbacks will look to salvage the series finale behind right-hander Zach Davies (2-2, 4.81 ERA).
The 29-year-old received a no-decision against the Kansas City Royals last Monday after allowing five runs (four earned) in 3 2/3 innings.
Davies exited the outing in the fourth inning due to a lower right leg contusion, but X-rays came back negative.
Justin Turner is 8 for 24 with two homers against Davies, who owns a 4-4 mark and 2.98 ERA in 11 career starts versus Los Angeles. He has allowed a total of eight runs in two starts over eight innings against the Dodgers this season.
Left-hander Tyler Anderson (5-0, 3.30) will take the mound for the Dodgers. Anderson, 32, has allowed a total of two runs over his past two starts across 15 innings.
“He’s been huge for us,” Trea ?Turner said??. “The last two games, he has just been eating innings and we really need that to save the bullpen, and those good quality starts from him have been huge.”
Anderson has exceeded expectations since signing a one-year deal with Los Angeles before the season. He owns a 42-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his first 43 2/3 innings.
Marte is 9-for-20 (.450) with two homers against Anderson, who is 4-3 with a 5.64 ERA in 15 career games (13 starts) versus Arizona.
Diamondbacks catcher Daulton Varsho (right shoulder) and outfielder Jordan Luplow (left foot) both sat out Saturday’s game and are listed as day-to-day.
Rookie Jose Herrera, 25, has started the past two games at catcher and made a positive impression on Arizona manager Torey Lovullo.
“He is still a very young player,” Lovullo said. “Still learning, but he is very mature for his age. He can relate to a lot of different concepts that we are trying to plug in here.”
–Field Level Media